Abu Dhabi Tour 2017 Route stage 2: Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi

Friday, 24 February 2017 - At 155 kilometres, stage 2 in the Abu Dhabi Tour is raced mostly within the perimeters of Abu Dhabi city. Wide roads and high speeds will problably usher in a bunch sprint.

Last year the Abu Dhabi-stage was barely won by Mark Cavendish ahead of Elia Viviani and Andrea Guardini. The capital saw Viviani outsprinting Peter Sagan outsprinting in 2015’s inaugural edition of the race.

Stage 2 in the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour runs almost entirely in the city perimeters. Firstly the route travels to Reem Island, a natural island 600 metres off the coast. Then the riders head for the first passage on Corniche Road, where the race is eventualy set to finish. At 8 kilometres, this is the most important road in Abu Dhabi. On wide and straight boulevards the route continues south.

After passing close to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque the first intermediate sprint is played out in Shakhbout City, approximately 30 kilometres from the city’s central business district. The riders pass Abu Dhabi International Airport and Al Shamaha before the second intermediate sprints takes place in Al Bahya.

The route takes in Yas Island and via Sheikh bin Zayed Highway the riders race to Corniche Road and the line. High speeds are assured in the last 5 kilometres with the pack pushing hard on large roads with a few wide semi-curves leading to the finishing straight, where a bunch sprint seems to be the only viable option.

The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints (after 53.1 and 99.1 kilometres) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.